Yu-Gi-Oh! Infinity Duels
by UnitedShadow
Summary: Kyo is a duelist with hundreds of sponsors under his belt. However, his Pro Tour circuit ends on a jarring note when he discovers that one of his opponents that he defeated was not who - or what - he seemed... Is Kyo able to gather his friends and save the world? This story is not based on any particular era in Yu-Gi-Oh's canon, but could be linked to GX. Original characters.
1. The Beginning of the End

**Infinity Duels**

_**As I'm getting back into Yu-Gi-Oh!, I thought I'd write a fanfiction based on the game, but with a completely new storyline. I've done this before when I was younger though, and the stories were well-received. I'm going to be tackling this one in a realistic way, with each character having their own motivations and development rates. No two duelists are the same, after all – unless they're doppelgangers!**_

_**The story is not based off any particular ban list, but decks will adapt over time.**_

_**So, what are we waiting for? Let's begin! It's time to duel!**_

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

"Judgment storm!" Kyo declared, his cloak billowing in the wind as an outstretched hand targeted his dragon's attack toward his opponent. His opponent yelled as his life ticked from three thousand to zero, then slumped onto his knees. With a quick motion, Kyo flicked his hair back from his eyes, and walked over to his fallen opponent as the holographic projections of their cards faded away from the battlefield around them.

"Your card, please." Kyo said, looking down at the other duelist. The other duelist spat, pulling out a seemingly random card from the few left in his deck, and tossed to toward Kyo, who caught it with a flourish. He examined the card.

"Your days as a duelist are over until you can get another one of these." Kyo waved the card about. "Regardless, Necroface is a very poor deck to play at the moment." He said, opening the deck box holstered onto his right thigh and dropping it in. He turned to leave, his cloak swooshing as he went. But something grabbed the end, impeding his exit. He turned back. His opponent had grabbed the hem of his cloak, and was now weakly standing up, not bothering to tidy his tattered jeans, hoodie or blonde hair. He released Kyo's cape, and with his own burning red eyes, looked into Kyo's.

"My name… is Austin! And don't you forget it!"

The arena around the two sprang into life, the stadium and its cheering audience revealed as the floodlights sprang back on. Flags of all shape and colours lined the stands, their intricate designs almost dazzling. The roof opened up to reveal a television screen that descended slowly down, showing the name and photo of the victor. Kyo Hagashami, a twenty-two –year-old with sleek, black hair that'd been oiled to retain its consistency, had been declared victor over twenty-year-old Austin Brightheart.

"I won't." Kyo narrowed his eyes at Austin, once again turning to leave, stepping down from the elevated arena. He adjusted his cloak, ensuring that the red trimming inside remained unharmed from Austin's grab, and buttoned it up over his otherwise-black suit. Stepping through the doors of the stadium between the cheering crowds, he was offered anti-sweat towels by the attendants, but gracefully raised a hand to refuse their offers. Meanwhile, Austin stood defiant at the centre of the stadium, hands clenched, bleeding from a gash above his eyebrow.

"Kyo, that was amazing!" A black-suited bald man in shades gawked at the duelist as he walked into his own private room.

"Of course it was, I would expect no less from myself." Kyo muttered, taking off his duel disk and placing it on a wooden, polished end-table by the door. He did the same for his deck box, unlatching it from his hip's holster and placing it next to the disk. Then he crossed the room, past the paintings of champion duelists, to examine himself in an illuminated mirror at a desk. He took a comb from the desk, brushing back his oiled hair. It'd become slightly ragged in the heat of battle, but it was quickly remedied. Then he looked over to the suited man whom was sat on his couch in front of a coffee table. "Who's next?"

Taking this as his cue to speak, the man chuckled with glee. He brought out his smartphone, pressed a button and grinned. He turned the smartphone to show Kyo.

"It's the best thing!" The suited man exclaimed. "It's only Brian Johnson, but he's made it here by pure luck! Your ratio at the bookers is twenty-to-one to his!"

"Luck, eh?" Kyo raised an eyebrow. He turned back to his mirror, and the man put the phone away. "Luck is a funny thing."

"Says the champion who runs Lightsworn!" The man chuckled once more. This brought a glare from Kyo. He stopped laughing immediately. Kyo turned back to the mirror to check himself one last time, then began to walk to the door.

"This game will be over quickly. Make sure the sponsors have their money lined up." He ordered, putting his duel disk back on, and clipping the deck box back onto his thigh's holster. The suited man nodded eagerly, brandishing his phone again and calling his contacts with utmost haste. Kyo smiled and stepped out of the door.

For the last time.


	2. Infinity Rising

**Chapter 2: Infinity Rising**

Kyo stepped back into the arena, much to the happiness of the crowd within. They cheered and wept, his fangirls tossing flowers from the stands to his feet, whilst the boys looked on, waving around giant foam fingers. Kyo stepped up the short flight of stairs onto the elevated arena, looking to the opposite side for his opponent. The dazzling lights above the arena forced Kyo to raise a hand to shield his eyes, as the crowd's cheers grew ever-louder.

Then silence fell.

There were collective gasps as the overhead lights dimmed. Confused, Kyo dropped his hand. On the other side of the arena, a cloaked figure seemed to be ascending the stairs, hood covering his face. His duel disk was the same model as Kyo's, but black. One could only presume it had been painted that way, but something felt wrong about the whole situation.

"Are you pretending to be a Shadow Duelist?" Kyo called over. "Because it's not funny! Now drop the act!"

"This is no act, sir." The figure whispered back, his voice carrying over the entire arena, giving everyone chills. Kyo visibly shuddered, then snapped - his duel disk was ready. He spun it around to his chest, and his deck appeared to gleam. A trick of the light - holograms ensured that special effects were seen by both the participants and the audience, and gave a certain flair to the duel.

"Then if it is no act, let's begin already and get this over with!" Kyo bared his teeth, annoyed to be fighting such an opponent. A virtual dice appeared elevated in the centre of the arena, its faces large enough to be seen by even those at the back of the crowds. It spun around, whilst an arrow appeared on the floor next to the hooded man. Then the dice slowed down and stopped.

"Five." The man declared. Then the arrow moved next to Kyo, and the dice spun again. A bead of sweat dropped down Kyo's forehead, but he brushed it away as quickly as it had come. Surely this mere hooded man couldn't be causing him to lose his composure already? But he was thankful when the dice came up with the number six.

"It's six, and I'm going first!" Kyo declared. The dice vanished along with the arrow, and the hooded man nodded. Both ensured their duel disks were ready, then the crowd once more burst into shouts of encouragement.

**GAME START.**

Drawing five cards, Kyo balanced them carefully in his left hand, deciding almost instantly what he wanted to play. He summoned _Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior: ATK 1850. _Then he set _Glorious Illusion_ and ended his turn.

His hooded opponent calmly drew six cards. He summoned _Gladiator Beast Bestari: ATK 1500._ Then he played _Smashing Ground, _destroying Garoth. Kyo only muttered to himself, wondering of the competence levels of his opponent. They continued, attacking with _Bestari,_ for a direct attack.

"Not so fast!" Kyo declared, flipping _Glorious Illusion,_ allowing him to summon back _Garoth._ It was much like a Call of the Haunted, but for Lightsworns only - and allowed him extra milling at the end of each of his own turns. With Garoth back on the field and a higher ATK of 1850 than Bestari's 1500, the hooded man could no longer continue his attack unless he wanted to lose his own monster and some of his life points. He calmly set two spell/trap cards, and ended his turn.

Kyo drew a card. Tributing _Garoth,_ he summoned _Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: ATK 2300. Glorious Illusion_ destroyed itself, given its part of the effect that allows the card to leave the field should what it revived, also leave the field. As Celestia's full body hovered in front of Kyo thanks to the holographic projectors in the arena, he declared that he would use her effect to send four cards from the top of his deck to the graveyard in order to activate her removal ability, whereby he can destroy two cards on his opponent's side of the field.

"Do you really think I would be so unprepared?" Kyo's opponent chuckled to himself. "I always knew that I'd never be able to beat your Garoth. By allowing you to summon back Garoth and tribute it for Celestia, I've caused you to lose two cards at the expense of my one Smashing Ground."

"What are you talking about?" Kyo asked, bemused. Then his opponent's strategy revealed itself much like a lightbulb moment. They flipped over _Gladiator Beast - War Chariot_, negating _Celestia's_ effect. Grunting in frustration, Kyo still knew he had to pay the cost of Celestia's effect, and so four cards were sent from his deck to the graveyard - _Lumina, Lightsworn Sanctuary_, _Aurkus_ and _Ryko_. _Celestia_ shattered into holographic pieces, as per War Chariot's effect. Unable to do anything else, he ended his turn.

The hooded man smiled under his hood, drawing a card. Playing _Gladiator Proving Ground,_ he searched his deck for one level four or lower Gladiator Beast to add to his hand. He chose _Gladiator Beast Laquari: ATK 1800_, immediately summoning it. Entering his battle phrase and knowing that Kyo had nothing on the field to stop him, he attacked with both _Bestari: ATK 1500,_ and _Laquari: ATK 1800._ Kyo yelled as the two monsters made contact, falling backward. He lay for a minute as his life points dropped from 8,000 to 4,700, a small cut appearing on the back of his right hand where he'd used it to defend himself. Breathing heavily, he considered the implications of the situation. Never before in this tournament final set had he been attacked and damaged, but he'd not known that the damage was possible. Before the finals, all he had experience of was tabletop dueling, but it appeared that the presence of these holograms meant that the duelists within the arena were able to be physically damaged. Were they truly holograms...?

Grunting as he stood up, the audience fell to a hushed silence. They'd not seen Kyo damaged before, either. Normally, he had a trick up his sleeve. However, the forethought of his current opponent seemed to be overwhelming the hundred-sponsor holder. Their gaze turned to the hooded man, who licked his lips with glee as he set one spell/trap, bringing his number of set cards to two, and his monsters remained at two. He didn't switch out the Gladiator Beasts, suggesting heavily that he planned to summon Gyzarus next turn, should Kyo attempt to mount some sort of defense. His two set cards were likely to be some sort of event-prevention triggers too... The situation seemed hopeless.

Groaning with pain, Kyo drew a card. He bared his teeth, looking at his hand full of effect monsters. Then he looked at his opponent. Games in the finals were determined by sudden death, the winner of one game took it all. The organizers had determined this would be the best way to do things, given the potential increase of excitement levels, knowing that one game could make or break someone's dream. The event was knockout as well, meaning that only winning all the games would guarantee you victory.

Completely out of ideas, but figuring he could take one more attack if Herakilnos wasn't summoned next turn, Kyo summoned _Ehren, Lightsworn Monk: ATK 1600. _Stretching out a hand, he signaled for the monster to attack _Gladiator Beast Bestari: ATK 1500. _The hooded man covered his face with his hand as the monk kicked Bestari's face, shattering it into a multitude of holographic pieces, and causing him 100 damage to take him to 7900 life points. His attack and turn finished, Kyo declared that he'd use _Ehren's_ effect to send the top three cards of his deck to the grave at the end of his turn. However, predictably, the hooded man flipped over another _War Chariot._ He sadly sent _Ehren_ to the graveyard.

Kyo's opponent drew a card, audibly gnashing his teeth. Kyo relaxed. It obviously wasn't what he was looking for, and he potentially had some time to sort out the situation as a result... If only he could have a couple more turns. The hooded man declared an attack with_ Laquari,_ dealing 1800 points of damage, taking Kyo to 2900 life. This time, Kyo stayed on his feet, defiant. The man then tagged in _Laquari,_ sending it into his deck. He brought out G_ladiator Beast Hoplomus: DEF 2400_, in face-up defense.

Seeing his chance, Kyo drew a card. It shimmered as it left his deck and entered his hand as he brought it around his body in a dramatic gesture. The audience gasped, sensing the silence between now and when they'd been cheering before. Kyo's opponent was giving him a run for his money, but what would be the consequences, should either lose?

Kyo looked at the card.

_Solar Recharge._

"I choose Minerva!" He shouted, discarding _Minerva_ for _Solar Recharge's_ cost. _Minerva's_ effect triggered, sending the top card of his deck to the graveyard - _Smashing Ground_. Then he drew two cards, and sent two more from the deck to the grave -_ Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter_ and _Dark Resonator. _Satisfied with the two additional cards he had in his hand, Kyo slammed a card down onto his duel disk with such force he almost bent it. The heavens metaphorically tore apart, holographic projections of light streaming through the arena's sky. Claws descended through the gap, followed by legs, a body, and finally, a head. The wings on the body separated, revealing its majestic glory.

"JUDGEMENT DRAGON!" Kyo yelled with glee, his ultimate monster finally revealed. Without hesitation, he paid the 1,000 life necessary for its effect, destroying all the cards on his opponent's field - the face-down being _Call of the Haunted_, and the monster being _Legendary Ju-Jitsu Master_. He then played _Foolish Burial_, sending _Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: ATK 2100,_ from his deck to the graveyard, consequently summoning it. Because Judgement Dragon was a Special Summon, as was Wulf, this left Kyo with one more card to play. He normal summoned _Vylon Prism_, a level four tuner.

"There are many things that we can take from our past." Kyo muttered, looking through his extra deck for the card he needed. "Sometimes, we need to look to our past, rather than summoning those who may be more sentimental to us."

"What are you blabbering about? Surely you can't do seven-thousand, nine-hundred damage to me in one turn!" The hooded man chuckled weakly.

"I don't aim to beat you this turn..." Kyo pulled out a monster from his Extra Deck, slamming it onto his duel disk. _Vylon Prism_ and _Wulf_ were sent to the graveyard, to reveal _Stardust Dragon_. Its wings shimmered as it faded into life on the battlefield, then letting out its primal cry. "But I can get close. _Vylon Prism_, activate. I'll pay five-hundred life to attach it to _Judgement Dragon_, thereby raising its attack points by one thousand when it attacks. As a result, I only have one thousand, four hundred life. But it's enough."

Staring in horror at Kyo's comeback, the hooded man stumbled backward. The attack of _Judgement Dragon_ would be 4,000, and _Stardust's_ would be 2,500. That would be 6,500 damage, destroying most of his remaining 7,900 life points. Even if he did manage a comeback, he wouldn't be able to destroy the Dragons, given that Stardust was on the field, and its special ability was the ability to negate any card that destroys card(s) on the field, at the cost of it leaving the field for one mere turn. The exception was a counter-trap, but he'd have to summon a Gladiator Beast, and activate War Chariot, whilst also trying to destroy Stardust. It just wasn't feasible.

"I surrender!" The hooded man gasped, stumbling backward and attempting to leave the arena. However, his back thudded into the holographic wall behind him. He turned around in horror, touching it with his hand. Somehow, the holograms were - or had become - solid-vision.

"What are you doing?" Kyo called out. All he could see from where he was, was that the man was stepping backward, and suddenly stopped and turned around, his back now facing Kyo.

"It's nothing..." The man began, but then turned back to Kyo. "I suppose I've been resigned to this fate. Come, attack me twice - I will skip my next turn." He grabbed the end of his hood, lowering it. Kyo frowned, his victory turned from a turnabout to a merely easy one. Doing as he was told, an in an effort not to upset his sponsors, he declared the attacks.

Stardust Dragon went first, rearing its head, then snapping it forward to fire a white beam of light at the defenseless man. His cape billowed in the wind, but he held fast onto the tip of his hood, keeping it over his features. Then Judgement Dragon went next, flapping its wings to fly into the sky of the arena, performing a similar action to Stardust, snapping its head forward to fire a beam of golden light at the man, sending him flying backward. But rather than smacking against the holographic walls of the arena, he flew straight through, out and down the stairs. The audience went wild, screaming and yelling in joy.

"Wait a minute!" Kyo yelled out, packing away his cards, causing his monsters' holograms to vanish. He dashed over toward his fallen opponent, his mind running through the possibilities of having just damaged him to a great deal. As he descended the steps, he began to notice a dark, almost shadow-like aura about the man. His cloak covered up all of his features, but Kyo imagined he could not be doing much more than writhing in agony. As he stretched out a hand to check if the man was alright, he was briskly grabbed by a security guard and pulled back. Two medics came pouring in with a stretcher, lifting the man onto it and taking him away.

"Well done, your sponsors will be proud." The security guard tapped Kyo's shoulder, clenching it tightly then letting go. He then began to leave through the door the hooded man had been taken through.

And that's when things began to go wrong.

A dark shadow appeared to fill up the corridor, and the lights within seemed to flicker out and die. The darkness seeped over the walls, spreading like liquid. Kyo stepped back cautiously, and the shadow followed. A black mist hung in the air, growing with every heartbeat.

Then the darkness suddenly lashed out at Kyo, striking him in the chest and sending him flying backward into the stairs, where he landed in a crumpled heap.


	3. Black Shadow

**Chapter 3: Black Shadow**

Thousands upon thousands of screaming voices filled the arena wherein Kyo had fought, as well as the city beyond. Citizens and duelists alike poured out of the arena, whilst the black shadow enveloped Kyo's motionless body. As it touched the soles of his feet, he groaned in agony, jolting awake. His eyes shot open, and he took a mere second to analyze the situation. Looking down, the shadow had covered most of the floor of the arena, but landing partly on the stairs had saved Kyo, even if he'd taken some bodily damage from the force of the impact. Crawling backwards with his shoulders for support, Kyo groaned from the effort. Once he was safely up one stair, he took the time to stand up, breathing out heavily. He surveyed the arena once more, seeing that it was mostly deserted, save for a black film covering nearly every surface, except for the duel arena and the stairs. Paper fluttered around, thrown by spectators who were focused on running away rather than recycling their possessions, and black dust hung thickly.

"What now...?" Kyo muttered to himself, ensuring that his duel disk and deck were where they should be. He stepped backward, into the center of the arena. Then there was a movement out of the corner of his eyes. A movement in the midst of the inky-black sea.

"Kyo!" Came a voice from where Kyo had seen movement. His eyes darted around, trying to latch on to the source of noise. It was difficult, with the blackness shifting and changing, as if to disrupt his vision. Then someone - or something? - burst through the darkness. The familiar sound of a motorcycle was music to Kyo's ears, a split-second before the smashing of glass as a motorcycle wheel replaced the glass barriers, flying through them. Attached to that wheel was the full frame of a motorcycle, with a white-leather-clothed female riding it. The motorcycle flew through the air, the black substance seemingly leaping to try to latch onto it, but failing as it was kicked away by the rapid spin of the motorcycle wheels. Then the vehicle descended, landing with a jolt in the middle of the arena. The rider activated the brakes, causing it to skid to the opposite side, but it was brought around, and slowed down as it approached Kyo.

"Who are you...?" Was Kyo's first thought - and speech - as the long, white-haired rider pulled off her helmet, revealing a young face, no older than her twenties. Her brown eyes seemed to contrast against everything she wore, but her dark blue motorcycle betrayed a hint of friendliness, and a willingness not to paint everything she saw white.

"My name is Akita Yakimoto." The motorcyclist replied, then nodding her head toward the blackness that was enveloping the stadium. "It looks like you have a problem. Please, step on."

"A-alright..." Kyo stammered, sitting on the motorbike behind Akita, grasping her waist. He didn't really like the idea of bursting out of the stadium on a motorcycle, but it was as good a plan as any. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have Riding Duels, would you...?" But Akita didn't hear him. She already had her helmet on, and began revving the bike. Kyo clenched his eyes and held on tight as she began to speed up, riding the motorbike twice around the blackening arena before hitting the slightly elevated side, launching the two into the air. And then Kyo screamed.


	4. The Looming Threat

**Part 4: The Looming Threat**

Blazing through the streets of Littleroad City on the back of Akita's motorcycle and hanging on for dear life wasn't how Kyo had envisioned the climax of the Duel Tournament to go. What would his sponsors even make of this? But judging by the situation, he probably wouldn't have to worry about his sponsors, but rather, a greater threat.

Akita deftly swung the motorbike around, avoiding an oncoming police car which was hurtling toward the scene of the spreading black mist. Kyo wiped his brow, but then went back to clenching Akita's waist lest he get thrown off. The skyscrapers of the city rose imposingly around the two of them, and a gridlock began to build at the end of the street as panicked citizens began to realize what was going on, and tried to escape the city. Akita ignored them entirely, driving the motorcycle onto the pavement, taking a sharp turn into a wide alleyway, remnants of the morning newspaper fluttering into the sky as they went. One of the pages hit Kyo in the face, and he spat as he pulled it off and threw it away. Then the two emerged on the other side.

It was a sight like nothing Kyo had ever seen before. The dark alleyway gave way to looming spires, twisting pathways and whitewashed skyscrapers - a far cry from the dark city they'd just been in. Pedestrians milled about, examining the morning news in what was seemingly their commute, and as Akita slowed her motorbike to a crawl, some tipped their bowler hats toward the two riders. Kyo stammered, struggling to find the words.

"Did we just pass through a portal or something?" Kyo finally managed to ask. Akita nodded, a motion that Kyo easily saw despite her wearing a motorcycle helmet. It was probably a better thing to do rather than reply with words as well, considering the wind was still whipping at their faces, and so he would've been unlikely to hear what she would've said. But that answer was enough for him. Akita certainly wasn't normal, and his worst fear at this point was that she'd also judged he was not-normal enough to be brought here.

Finally, after some time of riding through the calm streets, Akita pulled up outside a garage, its large door blocking the way. She climbed off the motorcycle, taking Kyo's hand and also gesturing for him to climb off. The she put the balancing tripod onto the motorcycle, released Kyo's hand, and walked up to the giant metal door. On its side was a large button. She pressed it, and the metal door began to rise slowly with a clattering sound as it went. ever-impatient, Kyo bent down to catch his first glimpse of the other side before it had fully risen. What he saw shocked him.

Inside the garage, there were two boys, around the age of twenty-five, working on two more motorbikes, much like the one Akita had. They were different colours, gilded with yellow and red. Akita's blue motorcycle filled the colour wheel. The walls of the garage were splattered in paints of various colours, with buckets hanging off pegs on the wall and brushes in special holders on workbenches. The room seemed larger on the inside than the outside, but not impossibly large. Upon further inspection, the room was actually set slightly below floor level, requiring a step downward to reach. Bulbs set in the four corners of the room flickered ominously, and when one of the mechanics punched the wall, the flickering stopped and they lit up the room perfectly.

"Logan, Hattori, meet Kyo." Akita said, pulling off her motorcycle helmet to allow her hair to fall. She smoothed it out with a hand as the two mechanics stepped away from their jobs and toward Kyo, extending a hand to greet him. They wordlessly shook.

"S-so... you're mechanics? And you make motorbikes?" Kyo stammered after a long pause. His eyes darted back and fourth among the three motorbikes, examining their intricacies.

"Yes. They allow us to travel the city quickly." Hattori said. He was a gruff man, with more body than mental sense, it seemed. His dungarees held his jeans to his body, as many belts were too small for someone of his stature. His voice resonated throughout his body.

Logan, meanwhile, was a much more timid-looking boy. His large spectacles and freckles betrayed his geek/nerdiness, and his shirt and jeans fit him perfectly. Kyo couldn't be sure they weren't tailored though.

"These motorbikes aren't suitable for dueling on... before you get any ideas." Logan added. Kyo chuckled to himself.

"I'll leave you two to explain the situation to Kyo." Akita nodded, heading out of the garage, and bringing the motorcycle in. She then headed out again, rounding the corner and leaving the three to their own devices. Kyo then turned to the mechanics for the promised explanation.

"Alright, so there's been some readings coming from Littleroad City. You, Kyo Hagashami, were caught up in the midst of these readings. It turns out that the last opponent you defeated in the tournament was so severely weakened from his attack, that the celestial body within himself was able to burst free." Logan began, his timid voice contradicting his perfectly-sounded and stammer-free explanation. "You see, Brian Johnson, that opponent, had been controlled by the celestial body for the duration of the time he was in the tournament. I do not know how he came to be possessed, though."

"So basically I just let out something that could destroy the world." Kyo muttered dryly. Logan nodded with confidence. Kyo wished Logan's confidence could somehow be projected onto himself.

"But there is a way to defeat it!" Hattori grinned, gesturing to the three motorbikes. "We have yet to make a fourth one, but these will allow us to outrun the celestial body when we're in Littleroad City!"

"So does that mean as long as we're here... in this other place... we're safe? And we're only unsafe in Littleroad?" Kyo asked.

"This place is called Tapipoca City, and it is a perfect replica of the desired outcome of Littleroad." Logan explained. "When the architects of Littleroad gathered, they desired for this outcome. However, several deals went wrong, and Littleroad became... not much more than a slum." He guestured, as if trying to use a hand to brush away the subject. Adjusting his glasses, he continued. "However, we are not permanently safe in Tapipoca. When we enter or leave Tapipoca, we have a choice of several portal pathways that lead to our desired destination. If all four are covered in Black Shadow, we are unable to leave or enter, and it is likely that the Black Shadow would, from that point, be able to enter and engulf Tapipoca."

"So there are portals..." Kyo muttered to himself, struggling to comprehend the situation.

"I'm sure you've got a lot of questions, but we can answer them as we go along." Logan smiled. "But for now, please understand how we plan to destroy the celestial body."

"Do explain then." Kyo sighed.

"There are three God Cards hidden around the country. All three were shipped here as tributes to three famous museums, in order to increase attendance. They were a gift from a wealthy duelist who bought them all from an unknown person many years back, but they are still in perfect condition, therefore commanding a high price. We need these three Gods brought together, and the Duel Energy from them must be used to defeat the celestial body. This is why we will need superfast motorcycles." Logan continued. "However, there is no guarantee that we will be able to get back into Tapipoca once we leave, given that we have to leave both Tapipoca and Littleroad to reach the rest of the country. This place may well be engulfed by the time we get back."

"It's a risky plan, but it's the only one we've got..." Hattori sighed in resignation. "But we can do it! Can't we, Kyo?!"

"If you say it is possible, then I suppose we can. This will be a rather awkward story to explain to my sponsors, though." Kyo muttered dryly.


	5. Shadow of Infinity

**_Thank you for reading this far! Please leave ratings/comments so I know where to improve my writing, and let me know of any bits you liked or didn't like! I read all reviews, and I even go back and make corrections based on what those reviews say!_**

**Part 5: Shadow of Infinity**

Seated around a table and regrouped once more; Akita, Kyo, Hattori and Logan shared a beverage. Orange juice: good for a duelist's mind, and necessary fuel for the battles to come. They knew that they'd probably not be able to return to Tapipoca City once they left, but the blackness was moving slowly enough not to require immediate haste. Kyo shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the eyes of the other three duelists bore into his. Had they really chosen him for helping with this task, or was he a victim of unfortunate circumstance?

"So..." Kyo finally muttered. He pushed away his empty glass. "How long until you've finished the fourth bike?"

"A day, we'd say." Logan looked to Hattori, who nodded. "You're welcome to spend the night, we'll try have it as operational as possible in the morning."

"Alright." Kyo shrugged. He then looked to Akita, who by now was wearing much more casual clothing - jeans and a white vest top with a thin red tartan scarf. "How'd you find me in that arena, anyway?"

Akita looked up, giggling slightly. Her white hair hung over her hand, which supported her head as she read a book, which lay on the table. "I was in the audience, and my motorcycle was outside. As soon as you'd defeated your opponent, I saw the blackness..." Her eyes drifted away from Kyo's, back to the book. "... So I went outside, and I was planning to get away, but..." She lost her trail of speech.

"Alright." Kyo replied, slightly disconcerted by the fact that Akita never actually planned to save him in the first place, but that it had likely just been an afterthought. He rose from his chair, Akita's blurred eyes following him as he went. He stepped away, leaving the almost-bare dining-room to go up the stairs in the corridor. The walls of the building were whitewashed, but stains betrayed the mechanics' professions, as the only bathroom was upstairs. Therefore, often they tumbled or accidentally simply touched the walls and left their mark. The banister however, was painted black.

Once at the top, Kyo made a beeline for the bathroom, soaking his face in the sink and washing himself with products he'd never even heard of before. Half of them smelled wonderful, whilst the other half were questionable. This city... the vision... was truly a marmite place. The bowler hats he'd seen tipped in the street harked to the olden days of England, whilst the modern-day appearance wasn't a far cry from Japan, had it been whitewashed. As he left the bathroom, fully-clothed once more, and rounded the corner, he nearly bumped into Logan.

"You're blocking my way, sir." Kyo said, a slight joking edge to his voice as he attempted to portray the young-looking geek as an adult. The boy looked down, causing Kyo's eyesight to follow his. In Logan's outstretched hand was a deck.

"Will you duel with me before you go to bed?" He asked. Kyo groaned, shrugged, then agreed. Logan smiled as the two headed downstairs once more into the dining-room. As Hattori offered Kyo another glass of orange juice, he raised a hand in refusal as he'd just brushed his teeth. Logan took it instead, and his place on the other side of the table.

With the two seated, their game could begin. Akita's eyes stayed glued on the book, avoiding Kyo's gaze. Hattori continued preparing a midnight snack, but assured the group he would join in to watch later.

"Four thousand life each. A short game, please." Kyo muttered. Logan agreed.

**GAME START**

Going first, Kyo drew five cards. Summoning _Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress (ATK: 1700)_ and setting a spell/trap, he ended his turn. Due to Lyla's effect, Kyo was forced to mill three cards: _Judgment Dragon, Garoth and Ehren. _

Drawing his six, Logan summoned _D.D. Assaliant (ATK: 1700). _

"I attack your Lyla!" He commanded, pushing the assassin forward. Kyo grit his teeth as both the monsters were sent to the graveyard. Then Logan set two spell/trap cards and declared the end of his turn. However, Kyo had other plans. He flipped his _Mystical Space Typhoon_, destroying Logan's _Soul Taker_.

"Soul Taker...?" Kyo asked, bemused. "Why would you even set that card?"

"A decoy." Logan shrugged. "Carry on with your turn."

Kyo drew a card. Quickly examining the small pile in his graveyard, he set one monster and ended his turn.

Logan drew his next card, with a slight smile. "This game isn't going to be much fun if you don't attack." And with that, set one monster in face-down defense and ended his turn.

"I could say the same for you..." Kyo muttered. He drew, then played _Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid (ATK: 1200)._ "Attack his face-down monster!"

Logan flipped over _Dekoichi, the Battlechanted Locomotive (DEF: 1000)._ Its effect allowed him to draw a card, which he did so with a smile when he saw what it was. Kyo then set one spell/trap, and ended his turn by milling _Pot of Duality_ and _Smashing Ground _due to Aurkus' effect.

With his extra card, Logan then began his turn. He drew for his normal draw, adjusted his glasses, then summoned _Drillroid (ATK: 1600)_. With a gesture, he commanded it to attack Aurkus, causing 400 points of damage to Kyo and setting him on 3600 life points. He then set two spell/trap cards (to make his total of spells/traps set, three) and ended his turn.

"Just what are you doing, with such a defensive strategy?" Kyo asked, bemused. By now, if his opponent didn't hold back, they'd probably be able to XYZ or Synchro summon, but no... There was something else. He drew a card.

"I have four Lightsworn with different names in my graveyard! Garoth, Ehren, Lyla, and Aurkus!" Kyo declared, "Therefore, I special summon_ Judgment Dragon_!" He slapped the card down onto the field in front of him, causing Akita to look up from shock. She cast her eyes over the dragon, but did not move from propping open her book. Logan chuckled, then pointed to one of his spell/trap cards. He flipped it over. Kyo's worst nightmare. _Bottomless Trap Hole._ Sighing with exasperation, he removed the Judgment Dragon from play. However, he had another plan! With renewed vigor, he flip summoned _Necro Guardna_ and immediately activated _Torrential Tribute_ in response to his own flip summon. Raising an eyebrow as the _Drillroid_ and _Necro Guardna_ were sent to the graveyard, Logan quickly understood what was happening as Kyo looked though his graveyard and removed _Necro Guardna_ and _Lyla_ from play.

"Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning!" Kyo declared, slamming the three-thousand attack monster onto the field. Its effect would either allow him to attack twice if it destroyed a monster in battle, or banish any one monster on the field that he so desired. However, since Logan had no monsters on the field, all he could do was attack once. And so it was this that he did, causing Logan to lose 3,000 life, setting him on 1,000. Then Kyo set one more monster.

"I see why you're one of the best now." Logan smiled, drawing a card. "But unfortunately, it looks like your luck's run out."

Akita looked up from her book again, apparently having grown disinterested from the summoning of Black Luster Soldier. She'd seen it all before. Hopes crushed. Dreams shattered. Lives destroyed. But nothing like what was about to happen. Why she came back... was about to be lost.

"I play Future Fusion!" Logan declared, sending seventeen monsters from his deck to the graveyard, including Cyber Dragon. Then he flipped over the trump card from his hand. "OVERLOAD FUSION!"

In total, twenty monsters were exiled, summoning the mighty... "CHIMERATECH OVERDRAGON!"

"N-no way..." Kyo stumbled back in his seat, and Akita gasped, drawing the attention of Hattori, who left his food preparation to witness the spectacle. "Sixteen thousand attack..."

"And that's not all!" Logan continued, flipping _Rush Recklessly_ to give Chimeratech 700 more attack. Then he also flipped his third trump card - _Limiter Removal_. "Thirty-three thousand, four-hundred attack! And when it hits your Black Luster Soldier, that's thirty-thousand, four hundred damage!" He leapt up from his chair in glee. Kyo examined the field, a sweatdrop running down his forehead. He had no hand, nor any set spells or traps. If he'd not been so reckless with Necro Guardna, he could've stood a chance...

"Did Logan... just defeat a champion?" Hattori muttered. Akita's gaze met his. Mouth agape, she nodded.


	6. Preparations for Battle

**Part 6: Preparations for Battle**

Kyo lay awake that night, his mind reeling with the concept of having been defeated by whom he'd thought was a no-name duelist. Rather than congratulating his opponent's victory, Kyo had just gotten up and walked wordlessly to bed, not even bothering to pack his own cards away. If anything, the duel had taken his mind off what Akita said - that she'd never actually planned to get him out of that arena, from the start. If she'd not changed her mind, he would probably not be lying in bed today. But what caused her to change her mind? And even worse - if she'd changed her mind because she thought he'd be a good ally against the upcoming threat, he'd lost every chance he had to prove how good he was by losing to Logan.

Three knocks on the door.

"What? Isn't it like, two o'clock in the morning?" Kyo called out wearily, sitting up. The door creaked open slowly, letting in a sliver of light. Akita poked her head around the corner, her white hair swaying like chimes in the breeze. Kyo groaned, running a hand down his face. Just who he wanted to see(!)

"I'm sorry..." Akita whispered as she stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the end of Kyo's bed and sat on it. She was still wearing the casual clothes she'd put on that evening. "After that game, I went through your deck. I noticed how you didn't have enough DARK monsters for your Black Luster Soldier unless you removed a Necro Gardna from play. I put a couple more in. But please, be more careful next time against one-turn-kill players and decks... You will need your Gardna for them."

"I know, I know, you don't need to give me a lecture on how to duel, I'm a professional!" Kyo sat up in bed, blood boiling over. "I'll bet you don't even have a deck!"

"I do, actually, it's a Crystal Beast deck..." Akita replied, her breath catching on the deck type. She sighed, standing up and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Kyo groaned, letting himself fall back into his pillows, and finally, to sleep.

The next morning, Kyo went through the bathroom routine before emerging in the dining-room for breakfast. Logan was sat at the table with a newspaper, but Kyo avoided his gaze, instead making a beeline to Hattori who was making pancakes. Akita was also sat at the table, wearing different clothes, and reading a different book. She'd evidently gone to bed after talking to Kyo the previous night.

"What sauces do you have?" Kyo asked Hattori, who pointed to a cupboard to the left of the cooker. Kyo edged around Hattori's large frame, then opening the cupboard. "Maple and Chocolate, eh? That's an interesting combination."

"We don't use both at the same time!" Hattori gasped. "That would be an affront to cooking!"

"Don't tell me your deck has Hungry Burger in it..." Kyo muttered, slightly too quietly for Hattori to hear. When Hattori asked what Kyo'd said, he just said "Nothing important." And shook his head, closing the cupboard. With nothing else to do for the moment as Hattori plated the pancakes, Kyo grudgingly made his way over to the table. His deck was in a neat pile, so he sat down and started looking through it. By the time he was done, the pancakes were served. As Kyo ate the pancakes, he considered Akita's newest additions to the decks. While seemingly unnecessary, they just might save him from the next one-turn-kill deck he runs into... but only time would tell.

Eating the pancakes in silence, the group looked at their own possessions - Kyo, his deck. Logan, the newspaper. Akita, her book. Hattori nervously shifted his eyes around, lest anyone try to stab him with the edge of one of their papery items in unprecedented anger.

"We should go soon." Logan finally said, breaking the silence. He put down the newspaper, and Kyo inadvertently met his gaze. Not taking anything from it, Logan continued, adjusting his glasses as he spoke: "The Celestial Body has engulfed two of the four pathways out of this city. As I'm sure you remember from our conversation yesterday, if it engulfs all four, it is impossible to leave, and it will begin to take over Tapipoca City. We have no idea how far gone the third pathway is either, so we have to leave now. Kyo, Hattori and I were up all night to prepare your motorbike. It's not quite up-to-scratch, so taking a significant amount of damage could probably cause it to fall apart. None of our bikes are suitable for dueling on, but we'd be more likely to survive a collision than you." He said dryly. Kyo glared. Akita audibly sighed and Hattori shrunk in his seat.

With his duel disk clipped to his back, under his cape, Kyo also ensured that his deck was secured in place in the deck holster at his hip. The other duelists did the same, each of theirs secured in different ways. Hattori's was clipped between his dungaree straps, Akita's was strung over her shoulder like a bow, and Logan's was tied on with an x-shape made out of durable string. The other three's deck boxes were all similarly strapped to their hip in one way or another. All four stood next to their respective motorbikes; Akita's was blue, Hattori's yellow, Logan's red, and Kyo's purple. In the midst of questioning their colour choices, he sat on his motorbike, revving it up. It felt nice and sturdy, so what did Logan mean by it being less strong than the others? If he didn't run into issues now, he might in future. As he kept that thought in mind, the other three did the same, revving their motorbikes and riding them to the entrance of the garage. The shutter was still down, but the garage lights kept it bright inside.

"I've got some new data." Logan announced, bringing out what looked like a thin PDA from his jean pocket. "Apparently the celestial being is beginning to envelop the third gateway, so we have to leave out of the fourth..." His voice trailed off. Akita grit her teeth.

"So be it! Let's hurry then!" She declared.

"S-sorry, what's wrong with the fourth?" Kyo stammered.

"The fourth pathway is directly next to the third: if the third is enveloped, then the fourth pathway will begin to be enveloped! I don't know how it made so much progress already - the second pathway is miles from the third!" Logan explained. "To be fair though, we did get a good night's sleep, but I was expecting two days to pass before it reached the third!"

"Why do you keep calling these pathways... gateways... different things?" Kyo asked.

"The name doesn't matter." Hattori said, revving his motorbike. "They're all just words for the routes out of the city. Now, we should go."

Logan nodded, pressing a button on the PDA. The shutter of the garage began to rise, and he put his PDA away. All four motorcyclists revved their bikes one last time, attached their helmets and lowered the visors. Then, when the shutter reached the roof of the garage, they sped off into the distance. Into the streets of Tapipoca City.


	7. Escape the City

**Part 7: Escape the City**

As the four rode on among the throngs of bowler-hatted businessmen and floral-dressed businesswomen, Kyo took the opportunity of calm to examine the city he'd probably not see again. The whitewashed buildings stood proud and tall, unaware of the darkness presumably surrounding half of the city - a half that Kyo hoped was far away, and it probably was considering that it took a night for the celestial being to reach the third portal into the city. Should the darkness cover all four portals, it would be able to enter and take over. But he wasn't going to let that happen, not while the possibility of obtaining the three God cards to defeat it remained.

"So how did you discover this place?" Kyo asked Akita, riding ahead to meet her, shouting over the wind. However, the shout was unnecessary. Inside of their helmets, the riders had a microphone built-in, which sent their voice to all of the other rider's earpieces within their helmets. Akita raised a hand in pain, but returned it swiftly to her bike's handlebars.

"You don't need to shout, we can hear you just fine!" Akita remarked back. "Regardless, it's not something we can tell you about right now. The long and short of it is that a company saw our skills as being useful, and invited us in." She looked over to Kyo. "But we had to leave behind many things."

"Many things?" Kyo asked. But before he could inquire for more information, Logan and Hattori sharply turned into an alleyway to their right, between two skyscrapers. Akita nudged her head, and followed. Kyo did the same, leaning on his bike to steer it. The four thus rode down the alleyway, the sound of their bike echoing against the walls, mere meters apart. The end of the alleyway, the more Kyo looked at it, seemed to drag itself further and further away. Was he growing tired already? Did he just have a bad night's sleep?

Pressing the brakes on his bike, Kyo came to a crawl, then stopped, took off his helmet and clutched his head between his hands. Akita heard the sounds of Kyo's actions through her earpiece and so stopped too. Logan and Hattori looked back to see what the hold up was, and brought their bikes to a halt.

"Are you alright?" Akita asked, taking off her helmet. She walked the short distance between her and Kyo, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kyo looked up groggily.

"Something's not right..." He muttered. "It feels like something is pressing against my skull or something."

"Do we need to get you to a hospital? Do you need medicine?" Akita asked, furrowing her brow.

"No, no, I'm not on any medication." Kyo chuckled weakly, picking up his helmet again and carefully putting it on. "It's probably nothing, I might just be tired."

"We'll stop off at a hotel on the way." Akita smiled. She put her helmet on and began walking back to her motorbike.

And that's when disaster struck.

The ground began to rumble, and Kyo grabbed his bike to stabilize himself. Akita gasped, dashing back to her bike, just before the Earth appeared to explode, leaving a giant chasm in between the two, spewing out blackness and heat. Revving his bike, Kyo span his bike around, riding away from the blackness, but Akita stumbled on the way to her own bike from the force of the explosion. She rolled over on the ground, scratching her shoulder. A hand clutching it, she felt the blood pouring between her fingers. It'd likely leave a scar, but that was the least of her concerns as blackness poured fourth from within the chasm. Crawling backward with her injured shoulder's hand, she had her back to her bike.

"Akita, hold on!" Logan cried out, his bike speeding toward Akita, racing the ever-growing blackness. His clothes and duel disk whipped in the wind, but Akita was more important than a replaceable duel disk right now. He screeched to a halt next to Akita, jumping off his motorbike as the shadow was a mere ten meters away and this distance quickly decreased. He put his shoulders below Akita's wounded side, putting her arm around his body. He helped her back onto her motorbike, which she ensured him that she could drive with one hand. But all the while, Akita kept looking over the chasm.

"Are you looking for Kyo?" Logan asked, running back to his bike and stepping on. Akita nodded back, pausing for barely a moment as the shadow began to descend on her, then she sped off.

But a cry echoed from the other side of the chasm. It was a cry of victory, something of defiance. Kyo and his motorbike smashed into the chasm's upturned side, launching into the air, wheels spinning as it went. With the height, Kyo couldn't keep silent - he yelled all the way as he flew upward, and then downward, landing heavily on the ground and almost spinning out of control. He quickly regained it however, and not a moment to soon as the shadow flicked at his bike, but was kicked away by the spinning wheels.

"We thought we'd lost you!" Akita called back, by now almost at the end of the alleyway with Logan and Hattori.

"Yeah, well - I had to get some speed to be able to launch over that thing!" Kyo replied, biting his lip from saying more. So that's truly how they felt - he was a mere commodity, nothing more than some help. But they could probably do their mission alone if they needed to. After all, even if each god-card-staked duel wiped out one of the three duelists in their victories, they'd still probably be fine... But there was still the issue of someone having to take the three gods back to the city, wasn't there? Their casualness about the whole situation seemed to suggest that this hypothesized suicidal approach wasn't the case, and they'd actually be fine. However, how was Kyo to know until he'd been in one of the duels for himself?

Light turned to darkness as the four broke through the portal on the other side of the alleyway. With horror, the duelists looked around themselves. Barely any sight remained of Littleroad City, with buildings reduced to rubble and desolation. Their strongest frames remained, particularly those of any earthquake-proof buildings, but it looked as if a nuclear bomb had hit the place. Nobody was in sight - the city was just black, bleak, desolate and looked as if it was shrouded in fog.

"Has the entire city been taken?" Hattori asked, his voice echoing throughout his body and helmet. Logan brought out his PDA, checking its status.

"Not the entire lot, but it seems like the celestial being was able to break into the underground network of train tunnels... and that's how they were able to break into the portal midway. It seems like its influence has stretched over here, though - even though it is not actually present." Logan replied, with a heavy sigh. "But we should leave anyway. If we can get to the first museum within the next day, we should be able to make good progress to come back here..."

"What about all the damage?" Kyo asked. "Will it stay?"

"I honestly do not know." Logan replied. Akita meanwhile, spent her time looking around at the disaster rather than asking questions. As soon as Logan had given the order to move on, she followed.


End file.
